McCarthy leads delegation to Montreal Protocol Meeting in Dubai

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy is leading the American delegation at the Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

The meeting began on Sunday and will run until November 5 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

McCarthy is joined by officials from the White House, the Department of State, the Department of Agriculture and other EPA representatives, who will collectively work to promote the country’s goals for international action on climate and the environment.

Specifically, the meeting will address an amendment to the Montreal Protocol that would reduce hydroflurocarbon emissions. These greenhouse gases are now known to be potent agents of climate change and have been used to replace the ozone-depleting substances that the protocol was originally created to combat.

The universally ratified Montreal Protocol is considered one of the most successful environmental treaties to date. It uses controls on ozone-depleting substances — on both the production and consumption ends — to conserve the stratospheric ozone layer.